The Art of War Visualized: The Sun Tzu Classic in Charts and Graphs

by Jessica Hagy, Sun Tzu

It’s the perfect meeting of minds. One, a general whose epigrammatic lessons on strategy offer timeless insight and wisdom. And the other, a visual thinker whose succinct diagrams and charts give readers a fresh way of looking at life’s challenges and opportunities. A Bronze Age/Information Age marriage of Sun Tzu and Jessica Hagy, The Art of War Visualized is an inspired mash-up, a work that completely reenergizes the perennial bestseller and makes it accessible to a new generation of students, entrepreneurs, business leaders, artists, seekers, lovers of games and game theory, and anyone else who knows the value of seeking guidance for the future in the teachings of the past.

It’s as if Sun Tzu got a 21st-century do-over.

Author and illustrator of How to Be Interesting , Jessica Hagy is a cutting-edge thinker whose language—comprising circles, arrows, and lines and the well-chosen word or two—makes her an ideal philosopher for our ever-more-visual culture. Her charts and diagrams are deceptively simple, often funny, and always thought-provoking. She knows how to communicate not only ideas but the complex process of thinking itself, complete with its twists and surprises. For The Art of War Visualized , she presents her vision in evocative ink-brush art and bold typography. The result is page after page in which each passage of the complete canonical text (in its best-known Lionel Giles translation) is visually interpreted in a singular diagram, chart, or other illustration—transforming, reenergizing, and making the classic dazzlingly accessible for a new generation of readers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, History, War, Leadership, Classics, Military Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2015

About the author

Jessica Hagy is best known for her Webby Award–winning blog Indexed. Her cartoons regularly appear in the New York Times, and she writes an online column for Forbes. Ms. Hagy lives with her family in Seattle.

Reviews

[Anjali Bhandari · Rating 5 out of 5]

It forces you to visualize Sun Tzu's saying from another dimension. Completely thought-provoking and a beautiful addition to any library. Loved every bit of it.

[Alicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not see a clear connection between the illustrative style of Sun Tzu's Art of War and the choices they made in what they highlighted alongside the illustrations to understand the message.

The point was the title "Art of War visualized" and I was excited, having read it eons ago, but it didn't do it justice. I see the point, but not the end-result of a graphic depiction of some of the best strategy that exists. It sometimes tried too hard, didn't make sense, or was a bit snarky in it's delivery and the point was lost on me.

[Obeida Takriti · Rating 1 out of 5]

يعتبر هذا الكتاب من أقدم الكتب الموجودة..
ويعرض ككتاب الأمير بأنه من أهم الكتب التي أثرت على قادة العالم..

وهذه النسخة هي نسخة تضيف إلى الكتاب بعض النماذج التي تفترض أن تسهل الكتاب..

وبصراحة لم أجد أن مضمون الكتاب الأصلي ولا النماذج بهذه الأهمية كما تراءى لي قبل قراءته..
فالنماذج بدائية ولا تدل على الفكرة..
والمضمون الأصلي معظمه قديم..
ولكنه بالطبع يحمل بعض الأفكار الجميلة والمهمة ولكنها لا تتعدى العشرة أفكار..

لا أنصح بقراءته..
فهناك كتب أهم بكثير عن هذه المواضيع منها 4 كتب لـ John Green وهناك مراجعة شخصية للنسخة الملخصة من كتبه على صفحتي..
استمتعوا بقراءة هذه الكتب فهي تلخص معظم الكتب التي تتكلم عن هذه المواضيع ومنهم هذا الكتاب..

[Joe Maggiore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly just Hagy's diagrams are worthy of reading. And then in conjunction with Tzu's writing it all just ties together really well. There were a few of Tzu's passages that were so specific to war that I was unable to tell the connection that Hagy was able to make - but hey, it was still important information.

[RuthAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would recommend

I've never read The Art of War before, but this version was a highly entertaining way to do it. I'm looking forward to discussing it at my work book club this week, and my copy will be a nice coffee table book in the future.

[Faiz • فائز · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some (to be fair, 'many' is more accurate) of the illustrations are misleading! The correlation aren't even there—none with the original texts of The Art of War. The author clearly did not fully grasp Sun Tzu's ideas, or she probably just misinterpreted them.

[Ben Beaudet · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone who typically favors visuals, in addition to or in place of words, I thought that this would add to the experience of reading The Art of War. However, I was disappointed with how unintuitive and unexplained the visualizations were - I rarely grasped the connection being attempted, and even more rarely gained additional insight about the topic Sun Tzu was explaining, through the visuals. I think some additional explanation about what the visuals are trying to portray, or how the author came to each connection would be helpful, but maybe this just isn’t the book for me.

I’m glad that the author was able to manifest this into the world, as they seem to have taken great joy in making these connections and turning it into something real / realizing a passion project, but I personally was left more confused about the topics than if I was just to read The Art of War.

[Zingsho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only a fool knows not that reading this book cannot make one a good strategist or a successful opportunist.

I was once motivated by the likes of Francie (Gilmore Girls got me to read this) and it was just a scratch on the surface of what the book shows.

After a decade, re-reading with a mindset to ground my stance in a healthy competitive environment, this book now only sounds vindictive to me and it's exhausting. Since I run with no fast paced and driven companies, I can only fit this read in with smaller populace and matters. And coming from an environment clapping for one another, taking turns, the rest is just how I see myself in the pool, I see this book as a way of making efficient management proposals, dealing with tough decisions, keeping tensions at bay, understanding liability, and the way I see it, anything to do with power and money.
Unless, Francie resurfaces.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this author and book would have used statistics and the diagrams that highlighted the statistics. Most of the diagrams were just arrows and combining topics with one circle intersecting another. Some of the drawings didn't make sense and didn't help explain the quote Sun Tzu was giving.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought that this version of The Art of War was more readable and digestible than this other version of The Art Of War, as pages only have a few lines each. The diagrams and charts are sometimes explanatory, other times humorous and funny, but at times irrelevant.

But I'm glad that I managed to find this version of The Art of War. Had used this site ﹝孫子兵法﹞原文翻譯 in accompaniment with the text.

Now I feel a sense of accomplishment!

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish. Good concept, poorly executed. The visualizations are almost entirely blobby Venn diagrams or simple line graphs. In a substantial number of these the author either misunderstands the concept, makes a joke that falls flat, or is trying to express as a Venn diagram a thing that really needs some other visualization.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting treatment of a classic work

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just dont get it, either its too simple or just me. I guess "not that good" the right words for this book

[Linda Tapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read the original several years ago and I definitely prefer that version. Some of these visualizations are just odd connections.

[Omar M. Khateeb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that's fun to read IF you read the original first. This should be a supplement and not a replacement to Sun Tzu's original work.

[Nis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't feel the illustrations really add anything, except some levity.

[Debbe Wall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I really like The Art of War I had a difficult time understanding how the illustrations related to the text.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining new look

The illustrations are witty and clever. They augment and sometimes elucidate the original text. I found myself wishing for more!

[Nastia Kisel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Что за бесполезная трата времени и денег! Хотите прочитать трактат Сунь Цзы? Лучше купите текстовую книгу без этих дурацких рисунков, которые совершенно неполезны и просто отвлекают.

[Grace Acevedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually broke down what I thought would be difficult read into common sense ideas. Enjoyed reading it!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why I'm interested in this book at the first place
Discovered by accident while looking for a translated copy of this biblical book.

This is the third book I picked with the title The Art of... on it.

What do I think of this book... now that I've done reading it
More than happier to know that this book is such a life saver! It is easier for me to digest the ideas presented in Cartesian coordinate system and Venn diagrams.

+
1. The Introduction chapter is a must-read to understand why Ms Hagy wrote this book in the first place.
2. The accompanying visuals are relevant to modern-time issues.

-
1. Some, however mentioned that some of the texts that explaining the visuals, doesn't make sense. They're correct too. Intepret them at your own discretion.

Get this
1. If you want a better understanding on this classic strategy bible. Couldn't recommended it more.

[Fateme Keykha · Rating 2 out of 5]

من این کتاب رو با ترجمه ایلناز شیرعلیان، انتشارات گوتنبرگ خوندم.
تصویرسازی‌هاش که کاملا مسخره و بیهوده بود و هیچ کمکی به فهم بیشتر نمی‌کرد که هیچ، قضیه رو پیچیده‌تر هم می‌کرد!! کلی باید فکر می‌کردی ببینی منظورش از این نموداره چی بوده! بعدم نمی‌دونم کی اسم چهارتا نمودار خطی و چندتا دایره‌ی داخل هم رو می‌گذاره تصویرسازی یا "بصری کردن"! اگر متن اصلی رو کامل می‌نوشتن سنگین‌تر بودن.
به لحاظ مفهوم، چیزی ازش دریافت نکردم که بتونم تو زندگی‌م پیاده کنم و به عنوان راهبردی برای موفقیت در کسب‌وکار، به کار بگیرمش! صرفاً آشنایی با یک سری تاکتیک‌های جنگی و نحوه تفکر یه فرمانده جنگی در دوران باستان بود، که جالب هم بود اتفاقا!
اگر برای شما هم سرک کشیدن توی این وادی، جالبه، خوندن کتاب هنر جنگ رو توصیه می‌کنم اما این نسخه‌ش رو نه!

[Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai bien aimé ce livre très différent des autres. C'est une sorte de collection de passages illustrés en graphiques et schémas du texte l'art de la guerre. Il est vrai que d'habitude je lisais les passages et ne retenait pas vraiment leur contenu. MAIS de temps en temps je tombais sur une pépite que je notais immédiatement. Ce sont ces petits moment de "réalisation" qui ont rendu ce livre comme une petite leçon de vie agréable à lire.
Un petit manuel pour résoudre tout les conflits à bien garder sur son étagère =)

[Douglas Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am giving this book 4-stars based almost solely on its creative and imaginative re-telling of a classic work. While it does not provide any new content per se, being a recreation of Sun Tau's classic, it does provide a completely new way of visualizing the concepts. It is a quick and easy read, but its value lies more in its invitation to constantly revisit its pages. I highly recommend this book as a piece that–after reading once–sits on your desk/bookshelf for you to open and review, as well as a conversation starter with those you lead.

[Hazem Hamoud · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 stars for Sun Tzu. I can see why the book has such a public appeal. It frequently reminds you of things that you probably knew on some level, but you couldn’t reproduce them in words, a thing that Sun Tzu so masterfully does.

2 stars for Jessica’s poor attempt at making relevant illustrations. A few were good, a few were maybe relevant just for her, and the vast majority were just plain awful.

[P.H. Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Real rating: 2/10
I have read Sunzi's Art of War before and would tell anyone to read a more traditional copy instead. This cheap cash-in is told in charts and graphs (let us be honest, it is 90% Venn diagrams). There is no insight. Hagy adds nothing, but it is a book you can stick on your coffee table and be like oh, look at me; I am insightful and wise.

[Héctor Iván Patricio Moreno · Rating 1 out of 5]

No tiene ningún chiste este libro, no me fijé en que la autora era la misma que la de otro libro que también había leído sin ningún chiste. Las imágenes no tienen ningún sentido, ni chiste, ni incluso proveen algo de valor. Lo único bueno del libro es que parece que tiene el libro de Sun Tzu copiado.

[Upen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the art of war and recommend the book to everyone and have many books on art of war. This book is limited for seone who has not read the original books or understands the actual teachings

[Gopal Sadagopal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book; Was very unimpressed by the illustrations; They were overly simplified and more often than not missing the essence.

But the original book is a must read. either get a clean copy or ignore the illustrations!

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

The “visualizations” are nearly all Venn diagrams, many of which are failing to actually represent the topic being discussed. Attempts to be clever with the labeling of some of these diagrams fall flat. Very disappointing.